How to Install Hytale Mods: the In-Game Browser and Your Server

Why your friends don't have to download anything

Hypixel Studios decided this from the start: every mod runs on the server, or on the computer of whoever hosts the game, and the game doesn't support client mods. You can join any modded server without downloading anything; whatever the server has reaches you when you join.

Types of mods

Server plugins: .jar files, written in Java. They add logic: minigames, economy, commands, new systems.

Content: data (JSON files that define blocks, items, creatures, loot or world generation) and art (models, textures and sounds). They usually come together in a .zip.

Worlds and builds (prefabs), to share a map or a building.

On a server, the .jar and .zip files go in the mods folder and load at startup.

With the in-game mod browser

There are no paid mods in the browser: Hypixel has said they'll all stay free. If a mod's author doesn't allow downloading it from the game, the install button is greyed out (since 0.7.1) and you can download it directly from CurseForge.

If you don't know where to start, here are the best mods for playing with friends, checked on Update 7.

1. Open it from the main menu

   The “Mod Browser” shows featured, popular and recently updated mods.

2. Search or filter by category

   By name or description. Since Update 7, categories show readable names.

3. Open the mod and check its versions

   You'll see its description, screenshots, downloads and the game versions it supports. If yours is listed, install it.

4. Manage yours in “My Library”

   From there you can see, update or remove your installed mods.

Versions: what breaks most often

Hytale is in early access and big updates break mods. In Update 6, for example, the network protocol changed and plugins had to be rebuilt to connect. Before installing, check that the mod says it supports your game version.

If a modded world won't load after an update, Hypixel recommends trying a new world without mods to find out whether they're the cause. While mods catch up, the launcher lets you play an older version (in its settings, “Patchline”), but only on your PC: a server has to run the same version as its players (why).

Early plugins

There's a special kind, early plugins, that Hytale doesn't officially support. A server only loads them if it starts with the --accept-early-plugins option, which means accepting that they can cause stability problems. On NapNodes the startup doesn't include that option, so those mods don't load.

Bringing your mods to your server

The mods in your game don't move to a server on their own: you have to upload them. And if you upload your world too, upload it with its mods, or whatever depends on them won't load. The details are in the guide to adding mods to a Hytale server.

1. Note down your game's mods

   You'll find them in “My Library”.

2. Download them from CurseForge

   The .jar or .zip file of each one, in the version that matches your server's.

3. Upload them to the mods folder

   On NapNodes, “Files” → Server → mods (if it doesn't exist, create it). Upload them as they are, without unzipping.

4. Restart and check the console

   With “Restart”. In “Console” you'll see which mods load and whether any fail. If the server won't start, remove the last one you uploaded (more causes).

Frequently asked questions